Durham School of the Arts
Stesch
AP Art History Study Guide
Mrs.
Unit 5.2: Renaissance in the North and Italy
Text: Chapter 18, 19, 20, 21 of Art History, Volume II
Read work on background and selected works
Theme for Northern Renaissance: “Consider the Nut.” We look at the properties of an average walnut—
it is small, textured, hard to crack but worth the effort, full of rich meat that must be dug out, and rich in oil. All
of these descriptors can be applied to the art of the Northern Renaissance.
Theme for Italian Renaissance: Theme: “PMA.” This theme is a good example of the way themes evolves
over time. PMA can stand for “positive mental attitude,” which allows for a discussion of Humanism and the
mind set at the beginning of the Renaissance. The letters separately can stand for perspective, modeling, and
anatomy—three challenges early Renaissance artists were tackling.
APAH Homework Assignment
1.
2.
3.
4.
Due: ________________
Read the relevant pages in your art history text (top right of this paper)
Answer homework questions listed below
All Q-Cards (List on separate page).
Create a Quizlet digital note card set on the Vocabulary section. Make sure your name is in the title of
the set. Once you create the set, look under “Tools” and share link for your set via email with me
(mrs.stesch@gmail.com) for a classwork grade.
Vocabulary
1. perspective
3. linear
perspective
8. tempera paint
4. Martin Luther
5. polyptych
6. triptych
2. atmospheric
perspective
7. sfumato
9. oil paint
10. vanishing point
11. chiaroscuro
16. printing press
12. pilaster
17. engraving
13. horizon line
18. vernacular
14. Medici Family
19. Reformation
21. etching
26. genre paintings
23. trompe l’oeil
28. terribilita
24. di sotto in su
29. Vatican City
31. secular
22. cartoon
27. pyramidal
composition
32. humanism
15. movable type
20. Johannes
Gutenberg
25. allegory
30. iconography
36. predella
41. Pope Julius II
37. Florence
42. patron
38. neo-platonism
43. Protestantism
33. Georgio Vasari 34. maniera
39. Mannerism
35. iconographic
devices
40. donor portrait
Homework Questions:
1. One of the biggest differences between Italian and N. European Renaissance paintings is the use of
oil. Briefly describe the technique and in what respects did it prove superior to tempera?
2. Who is generally credited with the invention of oil painting?
3. What effect did the blending of sacred and secular have upon the way devotional images were
painted?
Durham School of the Arts
Stesch
AP Art History Study Guide
Mrs.
4. List 3 characteristics of Northern Renaissance artwork.
5. List 4 different symbols and their meanings that van Eyck used in Arnolfini and His Bride.
6. What 15th century German invention facilitated the distribution of books and the knowledge they
contained?
7. Who was Martin Luther and what was his goal when he posted his 95 Theses in Wittenburg?
8. What huge change happened within the Christian faith as a result of Luther?
9. What did Luther and the Protestants think of art within the church and what happened as a result of
that opinion?
10. What did Catholics think of art within the church?
11. What/who did the Catholics think was the true authority on God?
12. Which countries became Protestant?
13. Which countries continued to be Catholic?
14. When artists in Protestant countries began to steer away from religious art, what subjects did they
turn to?
15. What was the one true authority on God, according to Luther?
16. Which famous artist in the north was a huge supporter of Martin Luther and would create paintings
that clearly showed that support?
17. In what ways did the Isenheim Altarpiece reflect the function of its location?
Durham School of the Arts
Stesch
AP Art History Study Guide
Mrs.
18. What are three classical influences shown in Durer’s work?
19. Explain how “Allegory of Law and Grace” represents the doctrinal differences between
Protestantism and Catholicism.
20. What was the basis of wealth for the Medici Family?
21. The invention of linear perspective is generally attributed to whom?
22. What was the major significance of Donatello’s bronze statue of David?
23. Which dates are generally accepted as the span of the High Renaissance?
24. Name four artists who were most closely associated with the High Renaissance in Italy.
25. According to Leonardo, what was the major purpose of his scientific investigations?
26. What two 15th century techniques does Leonardo synthesize in The Last Supper?
27. Who was Pope Julius II and why was he important for the history of art?
28. Why did Leonardo daVinci complete so few paintings in his lifetime?
29. Characterize Michelangelo’s style in painting and sculpture with four adjectives or phrases each
(four for painting and four for sculpture).
30. What was Michelangelo’s relationship to Julius II? How would you characterize their relationship?
31. Who are the two central figures represented in Raphael’s School of Athens and what aspects of
philosophy does each represent?
32. List five of the characteristics of Mannerist painting that can be called “anti-classical”
Durham School of the Arts
Stesch
AP Art History Study Guide
33. How does Rome come to be the new center of the arts?
Mrs.